You give the guard a charming smile and take the security badge he has handed you, checking to make sure everything was as it should be. The picture isn’t bad as far as ID cards, but this doesn’t surprise you. You’re posing today as a former model, and the camera loves you. You enjoy transforming yourself into the name on the page, bringing life to what would otherwise just be two random words strung together. When you’re someone else, the sins of your past are erased, and you have a chance at a fresh start. It doesn’t matter if it’s only for a few hours, or a few days. You get to play at innocence again, and if you try hard enough you can almost believe your hands are no longer soaked in red.
When you’re out of the elevator, you push your shoulders back and head for the receptionist, and hide the hint of the smile that creeps up at the sight of the unnecessarily large silver logo on the wall behind her. You’ve been told your assignment loves himself, and this fits right in with his patterns. You smile at the woman behind your desk. “Hi, I’m Natalie Rushman. I’m starting today with Legal.”